Walt Disney World
Marathon

Three in the Morning is a Lie

by
Patt Sheahan

Three
in the morning is a lie. There is no 'morning' in 3:00 in the morning.
It is night. It is the middle of the night. It is the middle of a deep,
dark, cold night if you were getting up to do the WDW 2006 Half-Marathon.
Same thing applies for 4:00 in the morning.

And it's
also a mistake to think it's going to be warm in Florida, like there's
a magic bubble over WDW property. At 4 a.m. on January 7, 2006, I think
it was in the low 30s with a breeze.

The night
before the half-marathon, we went to bed before 10 p.m. and I was very
surprised we could sleep. I remember waking up at 12:30 and then again
at 2:30, then just watched the clock until it turned 3:00.

After eating
half a bagel with peanut butter and banana (carbs, protein, potassium!)
and dressing in layers, we went downstairs in the Dolphin to find our
race bus. I assumed the buses would be picking up at the normal bus
stop area, but my husband decided to ask at the front desk. The person
didn't know, so disappeared for a few minutes. We found out there were
special tour buses waiting right at the front door.

The bus
left promptly and dropped us off WAY out in the Epcot parking lot. WAY
out. This started a trend -- I guess it was part of the warm-up process
for the big walk. Once we got to where the action was (a live band!
What a crappy gig for a live band! "Would you like to play at Disney?
Sure? OK, get your gear set up by 3 a.m.!") We milled around, trying
to figure out where the heck we were supposed to go.

Finally,
we found a race volunteer and asked where the corrals were. We were
told to go through the baggage tents where people were dropping off
their bags and walk on through. Mayhem. Many of the bicycle rack guards
they had put up to shuttle people in had bent supports and we saw walkers
trip. Would be bad to be taken out prior to your walk!!

Once we
got through the baggage tents we found ourselves in another huge parking
lot ringed with walls of porta-potties. Here's another thing: outside
people were lined up at the porta-potties - seems someone could have
told them there were many, many more here.

We still
didn't know where we were going, where the corrals were, whether we
should go to the corrals, etc. Finally, there was an announcement that
we'd start lining up. They removed the barriers at the end of porta-potty
city and the crowd started mooooving down a road. And it was a long
walk. I think we walked 1-2 miles prior to the race! Once you saw your
corral, you were to leave the main throng and get in the "chute."

We were
in Corral G (next to last), but close to the front. We stayed in this
corral for another hour. In mid-30 degree temps. At least there were
more bodies around at that point in time. People were jumping the fence
to use the "facilities" in the woods. A few porta-potties
placed along this long stretch of road would make some sort of sense.

While in
the corral we started talking to a mother and young daughter from Utah.
The daughter was probably 10-12, short-brown hair with highlights and
an angelic face. She had trained to run the race, but the mother was
having knee problems and didn't know if she would be swept while walking
or not. We then found out the daughter had had cancer twice. Throughout
the walk and since, I've wondered whether that little girl made it.
I sure hope she did!

Lots of
loud, dance mix music. Glad we weren't directly by a speaker. Could
hear a man and woman DJ-types, but not really what they were saying.
Occasionally we'd hear "Just 45 more minutes!"

Finally,
it was time! With a small flourish of fireworks somewhere up ahead of
us behind a very bright, cornea-searing light, we'd move 5 feet and
stop. Move 10 feet and stop. Then, it was for real!

My
husband and I had planned to do this separately -- I knew he walked
faster than I did on average. He didn't want to walk and jog, so we
were fine going our own way. I had dressed like the poor kid in "Christmas
Story" -- so many layers I couldn't put my arms down. I was fat
and happy, but most importantly, warm. Hubby had worn less layers so
he was glad to get moving and once the sun came up, he was perfectly
dressed.

The first
mile or two were pretty thick with participants, but I never had trouble
passing or getting around people. Even though race etiquette is to stay
to the right unless you are passing, I found it easier to pass either
on the far left or right.

Let's talk
about on-off ramps and WDW. You've driven them many, many times. I had
too - but walking them was a totally different experience. They are
huge. They are slanted. And the pavement on them isn't in very good
shape -- it's very rutted (which I noticed more coming back, around
the 10 mile mark!)

It was
starting to get a little light by the time I reached the toll plaza
area.

Mile 2
to 3 seemed distorted to me. Seemed longer than a mile. I don't know
if they fudged the first mile, then lengthened the second or what, but
it took a long time before that 3 mile marker came up. The Disney Cruise
Line was set up somewhere around there and I remember hearing the Wonder's
horn blaring 'When You Wish Upon a Star' -- I thought I was starting
to hallucinate!

We looped
around the Richard Petty Experience, through a parking lot and headed
toward what I figured would be the hardest part of the half-marathon
- The "Dreaded Contemporary Hill." I jogged before I got there,
figuring I'd lose time climbing it. On the way up, I noticed one of
those selfless marathon acts. A woman in a wheel chair was having trouble
- not so much with her chair, but she had had her legs strapped at the
ankles to keep them on the chair. Her binding was coming undone. She
could get her chair over to the pylons, but was having trouble fixing
it. Two men left the race and helped her.

The hill
wasn't that bad! I was up it before I knew it and that put the
Magic Kingdom in view. As a WDW Half-Marathon newbie, this was my goal.
I thought I could finish the race, but I mainly wanted to get through
the MK.

I ditched
my windbreaker and gloves outside the MK. Going behind Tony's the smell
of bacon pervaded the air and people were laughing. "Hey, they're
going to give us BACON at our next stop!" Up Main Street USA, friend
and families cheering from the sidelines. I caught sight of a friend's
husband and yelled his name, high-fived him before he even knew who
I was.

Turned
right to Tomorrowland -- I had heard hints of taking a potty break there
-- went in, lines were too long. I decided I wasn't wasting minutes
to stand in line. No pee stops for me! Sat down, pulled off my sweat
pants. So, now I'm down to running tights, race shirt and sweat shirt.

I
did, however, stop to have my picture taken with Tweedle-Dee. I have
my priorities! How did I know it was Tweedle-Dee? Because I concluded
I was definitely Tweedle-DUMB.

Castle
looming ahead. "It's My Life" by Bon Jovi blaring on my MP3
player. This is the only song I can line up with where I was because
it echoed how I was feeling right then "It's my life -- it's now
or never. I ain't gonna live forever -- I just wanna live while I'm
alive!" I thought the smile on my face was going to split my head
in two.

Through
the castle. I was hoping people would be running with their arms up,
going "WOOOO!" but it didn't happen. Maybe the real runners
do this. Bottleneck outside -- photographers taking pictures of racers.

Through
Frontierland -- I vaguely remember two big Country Bears dancing on
the sideline... and maybe Baloo again, I may be hallucinating.

Out the
gates and through the area where I assume they keep parade floats, because
we saw a lot of floats back there. Chernabog was asleep on the top of
his, however, so we had safe passage.

This was
about 6.5 miles, almost half way and the only nutrition we saw
on the race. Bananas, half or whole .. take your pick. And a street
littered with banana peels. How bad and how much of a cliché
it would be to slip on a banana peel and ruin your race! I took a whole
one. I paid big bucks for this race, I'm taking anything I can get.

Somewhere
before the Grand Floridian, the battery on my MP3 player died, so I
tried to change it while walking. Dropped it -- battery and back went
flying. Luckily, got the back, left the old battery and on I went. Frankly,
the MP3 player was my salvation. I had taped all up-tempo songs, songs
I really, really like, and they kept my pace up.

Brides
and grooms along the side of the road.

Uh-oh.
Mile 9 .. I notice the bottom of my right foot starting to hurt.
I'm developing a blister. Same shoes I've trained in, never had a problem.
Mile 10, I know I'm in trouble. The jogging portion of my race is done.
No way in the world I want to skid that sucker open. I make it up the
on ramp, feeling every little hard groove in it. Stop at the railing
on the overpass (and finally take a look at the crowd still behind me
-- I never looked before!). Take my shoe off, jimmy my sock around.

Mile 11
to 12 pretty nondescript. Just keep checking my stopwatch to see if
I'm walking under 16 minutes per mile. Miles 10-13 were all over 16
minutes, due to the fact my right foot was burning and I was walking
to accommodate it. It was nice to see the behemoth Swans and Dolphins
because you knew you were close.

Up another
ramp and overpass (where the heck did THAT come from???) into Epcot,
behind Living Seas. Gospel group singing "America," decked
out in gold. Up under Spaceship Earth, down to the lake, back again
heading towards glory. I knew I had a little reserve left, so I jogged
over the finish line. I could see the clock ticking towards 3:45 .
I wanted to get there before it hit that point and I did.

My hubby
and I had agreed to meet at the family meet tent. I grabbed a mylar
blanket, got my medal, bypassed the official photo, took whatever they'd
give me at the food tent (banana!). Got to the "S" tent and
didn't see hubby. Up he walks finally, eating a banana. We looked at
each other and almost simultaneously said, "Never again!"
Turns out he had finished 4 minutes before me.

He, too,
stated that around mile 10 his feet turned to mush. Being the self-help
dude that he is, he picked up a pair of socks that had been thrown along
the road-side and put them on over his other socks. Whoever threw away
the nice pair of Nike socks, we thank you. (We were later told that
most likely at that point in the race, they were probably thrown away
by a fast runner that had been using them for gloves!)

We hobbled
to find where our bus would be (again, this wasn't clear). Hubby had
gotten an official photo taken, so it'll be interesting to see what
photos, if any, were taken along the race way, etc.

The blister
is popped and drained. The muscles that hurt on Saturday were replaced
with new muscles that hurt on Sunday. Sunday, I heard my hubby say,
"IF we do this again " Monday, the aches and pains had
changed locations again. By Tuesday, I was pain free.

My left
big toenail may be leaving me. I feel like it's a badge of honor, though.
Finding a pair of shoes I could wear to work this morning was impossible.
Tomorrow it'll be open-toed sandals and socks. But I'm happy -- now
I've got a big gold Donald-head bling thing going on!

So, advice
from a 53-year old race newbie:

* Train. Make sure you can do at least a 16-minute mile.

* Make friends, real-life or internet and talk during training. Lots
of support, suggestions, and some good people to drink with when it's
all over.

* Get good shoes. Be fitted for proper shoes. What felt good (New Balance
480s) and worked well for our training sessions failed me at the real
deal.

* Decide if you can do it on your own or not. An MP3 player was imperative
for me on my own as it kept me at a good pace and entertained.

* Set your goal. Whether it's to get through the Magic Kingdom (which
really was the highlight for me) or whether it's to finish -- set that
goal.